7/16 - Comforting Moment - Death does not end the Relationship

The recent thoughts regarding death and bereavement have shifted. In the past death was viewed as something one needs to "let go of" and "get over" in order to move on with life.

More recently, experts have come to realize as in the quote below, that death may end a life, but it does not end the relationship.

Death ends a life, not a relationship. One of the real challenges at this time of bereavement is to create a new relationship with your loved one without a physical presence.

You face the task of creating that new relationship, one of heart, mind and spirit.
Incorporating your loved one’s values and passions into your own life and passing them on to others will create a living memorial that will keep alive the essence of your loved one and bring you comfort.

Playwright Robert Anderson
Tuesdays with Morrie

Many people find ways, often creative, to keep the memory of a loved one alive as a source of comfort. This article that I published several years ago includes some of the many ways of coping:

• Creatively Expressing Grief - from the Journey of Hearts Site
  
• Ways of Coping: Creatively Expressing Grief at Support 4 Change
  
• Ways of Coping: Creatively Expressing Grief at the Learning Place Online

Other Quotes:
Living on in the Hearts

All that you deeply love

Source:
Bereavement Guide. 2006. Pathways Hospice Foundation. Available at:
http://www.pathwayshealth.org/documents/Pathways_Bereavement_Guide.pdf